Women’s job and social insecurity is a persistent and multifaceted problem that requires urgent and decisive attention. Women in Barcelona are no exception. The data reflect a concerning situation in the city, where the wage gap exceeds 15% and 26.4% of women (compared to only 12.9% of men) work part time. Job insecurity is exacerbated by part-time contracts, the over-representation of women in certain low-paid sectors, and other factors having to do with disability, age, background and social/cultural circumstances.
Precarity in women’s lives often leads to stress, subordination and reduced agency, as well as consequences such as the wage and pension gap, the feminisation of poverty, the loss of talent and a lack of female role models in leadership positions, among other issues. But what is the specific situation in shops, restaurants and hotels?
A female-dominated sector
Looking at the gender distribution across sectors, construction and transport are overwhelmingly male-dominated, with over 70% of workers being men. Conversely, in sectors related to personal services – such as domestic work, cleaning and maintenance – women make up over 70% of the workforce. Other sectors show less pronounced gender imbalances, but still follow clear gender patterns. For example, men predominate in manufacturing and finance and insurance (between 63.8% and 65.1%), while women make up the majority in health, education and services (between 60% and 67.2%). In the retail sector, women make up 53.8% of the workforce, compared with 46.2% for men, according to the Barcelona Sociodemographic Survey.
In fact, statistics show that women continue to be concentrated in caring and customer service jobs, such as retail, while men tend to work in physically demanding or traditionally technical jobs. In hotels and restaurants, the gender balance is reversed, with men making up 53.2% of the workforce and women 46.8%.
Although women outnumber men behind the counters, the figures flip when we focus on who actually owns these businesses. In 2019, only 45.9% of shops were owned by women. Furthermore, only 2 out of every 10 presidents of Barcelona’s shopping districts and retailer associations are women, despite their significant presence in roles related to business promotion.
Wage poverty and training
When it comes to wage poverty, women have consistently higher rates in most sectors. Sectors with the highest levels of female wage poverty include hotels and restaurants, where 26.4% of women are in poverty compared to 23.3% of men; retail trade, where 25% of women are in poverty compared to 24.1% of men; and wholesale trade, where 7.6% of women are in poverty compared to 6.3% of men.
Regarding training for employment in the retail sector in Barcelona, the vocational training and employment programme (FPI) shows a strong gender skew towards men in terms of enrolment. Of the 1,554 students enrolled in the 2022/2023 academic year, only 435 were women (28%), while 1,119 were men (72%), according to the 2024 Gender in Figures study. There is also a clear gender pattern in the fields of study. Fields such as mechanics, installation, industry, electricity, woodworking, transport and IT are heavily male-dominated, with over 90% men. In contrast, fields such as beauty, textiles, fashion and leatherwork are female-dominated, with over 60% women. Retail trade is the fourth most female training sector, with almost 4 out of 10 students being women.
There is almost no gender difference in enrolments for the 2022/2023 academic year for intermediate and advanced vocational training courses. The data show that some VET fields have a more balanced gender distribution, as is the case for chemistry, graphic arts, and hospitality and tourism. Retail trade is also in this group.
More sustainable consumption habits
Women are generally more likely to adopt sustainable consumption patterns. The most notable differences between men and women can be seen in the use of lunch boxes at work or school, the refusal of plastic bags and the regular purchase of fair trade products. It is also important to note that women are more likely to be responsible for the daily shopping, either for themselves or for their household. However, a higher proportion of men shop in second-hand shops, cooperatives and consumer networks.
Where to find more data
For more data, we recommend consulting the latest Gender in Figures study, published by Barcelona City Council in the summer of 2024. You can also find specific indicators on the commercial sector at the city’s Observatory of Commerce and Hospitality, promoted by the City Council’s Directorate of Commerce, Hospitality and Food Services.